Heath Bunting
Encyclopedia
Heath Bunting is a contemporary British artist born in 1966. Based in Bristol, he is the founder of the site irational.org and was one of the early practitioners in the 1990s of Net.art
. Bunting's work is based on creating open and democratic systems by modifying communications technologies and social systems. His work often explores the porosity of borders, both in physical space and online. In 1997, his online work Visitors Guide to London was included in the 10th documenta
exhibition in Kassel.
An activist, he created a dummy site for the European Lab for Network Collision (CERN) and works to maintain a list of pirate radio stations in London
.
with a white background and light grey text taken from an article about Heath Bunting. A vast majority of the words are hypertext
, but not all. As coded for by simple HTML
attributes
, hyperlinked words turn from grey to black once visited.
. The work utilizes an article about Heath Bunting written by James Flint of The Telegraph
. Instead of presenting the article in its traditional form, Bunting links
nearly every word to [insert word].com and alters the color-scheme of the document as per his white-on-white period.
ed words, the reader is transported to that domain
, which may or may not be owned. At the time of this work's creation, 1998, many of the domain names were not owned, but are registered today. In contrast, some domain may have been owned in the past twelve years, but are no longer owned anymore, thereby touching on the transience of Internet ownership. Bunting's work also shows the range of banal or absurd domain names that companies have purchased. Not all words in the article are hyperlinked, however. Bunting effectively takes ownership of the following words by leaving them as normal text:
Through these words he spells out how the article touches on his own identity
.
ed word, the text of the article all appears light grey. However, clicking on a link changes that word's color to black. Additionally, all subsequent occurrences of the word turn to black, thereby making the domain
much more visible on the page. Visibility is a relevant issue in current internet culture with concerns over what is public vs. private on the internet, SEM marketing tactics
and search engine
sophistication. If all links in _readme.html (Own, Be Owned or Remain Invisible) are clicked, the only words that are left as light grey are those describing the identity
of Heath Bunting, suggesting that he, himself, chooses to "remain invisible."
took center stage in Heath Bunting's 1994 performative art
project entitled “King’s Cross Phone-In.” On Friday, August 5, 1994, Bunting orchestrated a scheme that involved many people calling public phones in and in the surrounding area of London King's Cross railway station. http://irational.org/cybercafe/xrel.html On his then-website Cybercafe.org, founded in 1992, Bunting posted the phone numbers to all of the public phones and encouraged his followers to do one of the following: call in a pattern, call at a certain time, call and speak to a stranger, or show up and pick up the telephone. http://tiger.towson.edu/users/nbosle1/bunting.html Bunting used his website as an informative source to let his readers know how to partake in his project.
When August 5 arrived, Bunting went to King’s Cross to pick up telephone calls. Many people called in and he witnessed as casual passers-by engaged in conversations with strangers who were perhaps halfway across the world. The project brought people together, if only for a few brief moments, to create a network through the communication medium of telephones. In Digital Humanities, a class by Professor Michael Shanks at Stanford University
, the project is described: “the train station was transformed into an art platform and the unsuspecting commuters and workers in the area became the audience.” http://foresight.stanford.edu:3455/DigitalHumanities/229 After the phone-in art was completed, Bunting reported back to his followers about the experience on his website and encouraged others to do the same. http://irational.org/cybercafe/xrep.html All of these are still available at Irational.org.
This is an early example of a flash mob
and instigating action through a then-passive medium. Bunting's work is sometimes compared to the work of Allan Kaprow
, one of the pioneers in performance art.
Net.art
"net.art" refers to a group of artists who worked in the medium of Internet art from 1994. The main members of this movement are Vuk Ćosić, Jodi.org, Alexei Shulgin, Olia Lialina, and Heath Bunting...
. Bunting's work is based on creating open and democratic systems by modifying communications technologies and social systems. His work often explores the porosity of borders, both in physical space and online. In 1997, his online work Visitors Guide to London was included in the 10th documenta
Documenta
documenta is an exhibition of modern and contemporary art which takes place every five years in Kassel, Germany. It was founded by artist, teacher and curator Arnold Bode in 1955 as part of the Bundesgartenschau which took place in Kassel at that time...
exhibition in Kassel.
An activist, he created a dummy site for the European Lab for Network Collision (CERN) and works to maintain a list of pirate radio stations in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Own, Be Owned, or Remain Invisible
Created in 1998, _readme.html (Own, Be Owned or Remain Invisible) is a work of net.art that spoke to the time period in which it was created, and yet still remains relevant to the contemporary moment. The piece is a simple web pageWeb page
A web page or webpage is a document or information resource that is suitable for the World Wide Web and can be accessed through a web browser and displayed on a monitor or mobile device. This information is usually in HTML or XHTML format, and may provide navigation to other web pages via hypertext...
with a white background and light grey text taken from an article about Heath Bunting. A vast majority of the words are hypertext
Hypertext
Hypertext is text displayed on a computer or other electronic device with references to other text that the reader can immediately access, usually by a mouse click or keypress sequence. Apart from running text, hypertext may contain tables, images and other presentational devices. Hypertext is the...
, but not all. As coded for by simple HTML
HTML
HyperText Markup Language is the predominant markup language for web pages. HTML elements are the basic building-blocks of webpages....
attributes
Attribute (computing)
In computing, an attribute is a specification that defines a property of an object, element, or file. It may also refer to or set the specific value for a given instance of such....
, hyperlinked words turn from grey to black once visited.
Appropriation
In Own, Be Owned or Remain Invisible Bunting makes use of appropriationAppropriation (art)
Appropriation is a fundamental aspect in the history of the arts . Appropriation can be understood as "the use of borrowed elements in the creation of a new work."...
. The work utilizes an article about Heath Bunting written by James Flint of The Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
. Instead of presenting the article in its traditional form, Bunting links
Hyperlink
In computing, a hyperlink is a reference to data that the reader can directly follow, or that is followed automatically. A hyperlink points to a whole document or to a specific element within a document. Hypertext is text with hyperlinks...
nearly every word to [insert word].com and alters the color-scheme of the document as per his white-on-white period.
Ownership
Own, Be Owned or Remain Invisible addresses the commercialization of the Internet. By clicking one of the hyperlinkHyperlink
In computing, a hyperlink is a reference to data that the reader can directly follow, or that is followed automatically. A hyperlink points to a whole document or to a specific element within a document. Hypertext is text with hyperlinks...
ed words, the reader is transported to that domain
Domain name
A domain name is an identification string that defines a realm of administrative autonomy, authority, or control in the Internet. Domain names are formed by the rules and procedures of the Domain Name System ....
, which may or may not be owned. At the time of this work's creation, 1998, many of the domain names were not owned, but are registered today. In contrast, some domain may have been owned in the past twelve years, but are no longer owned anymore, thereby touching on the transience of Internet ownership. Bunting's work also shows the range of banal or absurd domain names that companies have purchased. Not all words in the article are hyperlinked, however. Bunting effectively takes ownership of the following words by leaving them as normal text:
-
- Heath Bunting Heath Bunting flyposter, graffiti artist art radio pirate bulletin board Heath Kings Cross phone-in, Heath Heath. mother bogus Glaxo
- website Heath Heath Heath Anti with E Backspace cyberlounge Heath jodi.org, Heath CCTV marketing databases. create disbelief. Heath http://www.irational.org.
Through these words he spells out how the article touches on his own identity
Identity formation
Identity formation is the development of the distinct personality of an individual regarded as a persisting entity in a particular stage of life in which individual characteristics are possessed and by which a person is recognised or known . This process defines individuals to others and themselves...
.
Visibility
In an 1997 interview, Bunting was quoted as saying the issue with the internet at the time was visibility vs. invisibility. This topic is addressed in _readme.html through the work's color scheme and use of hypertext. Before clicking on a hyperlinkHyperlink
In computing, a hyperlink is a reference to data that the reader can directly follow, or that is followed automatically. A hyperlink points to a whole document or to a specific element within a document. Hypertext is text with hyperlinks...
ed word, the text of the article all appears light grey. However, clicking on a link changes that word's color to black. Additionally, all subsequent occurrences of the word turn to black, thereby making the domain
Domain name
A domain name is an identification string that defines a realm of administrative autonomy, authority, or control in the Internet. Domain names are formed by the rules and procedures of the Domain Name System ....
much more visible on the page. Visibility is a relevant issue in current internet culture with concerns over what is public vs. private on the internet, SEM marketing tactics
Search engine marketing
Search engine marketing, , is a form of Internet marketing that seeks to promote websites by increasing their visibility in search engine result pages through the use of paid placement, contextual advertising, and paid inclusion...
and search engine
Search engine
A search engine is an information retrieval system designed to help find information stored on a computer system. The search results are usually presented in a list and are commonly called hits. Search engines help to minimize the time required to find information and the amount of information...
sophistication. If all links in _readme.html (Own, Be Owned or Remain Invisible) are clicked, the only words that are left as light grey are those describing the identity
Identity formation
Identity formation is the development of the distinct personality of an individual regarded as a persisting entity in a particular stage of life in which individual characteristics are possessed and by which a person is recognised or known . This process defines individuals to others and themselves...
of Heath Bunting, suggesting that he, himself, chooses to "remain invisible."
King's Cross Phone-In
Communications and networkingSocial network
A social network is a social structure made up of individuals called "nodes", which are tied by one or more specific types of interdependency, such as friendship, kinship, common interest, financial exchange, dislike, sexual relationships, or relationships of beliefs, knowledge or prestige.Social...
took center stage in Heath Bunting's 1994 performative art
Performance art
In art, performance art is a performance presented to an audience, traditionally interdisciplinary. Performance may be either scripted or unscripted, random or carefully orchestrated; spontaneous or otherwise carefully planned with or without audience participation. The performance can be live or...
project entitled “King’s Cross Phone-In.” On Friday, August 5, 1994, Bunting orchestrated a scheme that involved many people calling public phones in and in the surrounding area of London King's Cross railway station. http://irational.org/cybercafe/xrel.html On his then-website Cybercafe.org, founded in 1992, Bunting posted the phone numbers to all of the public phones and encouraged his followers to do one of the following: call in a pattern, call at a certain time, call and speak to a stranger, or show up and pick up the telephone. http://tiger.towson.edu/users/nbosle1/bunting.html Bunting used his website as an informative source to let his readers know how to partake in his project.
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, the project is described: “the train station was transformed into an art platform and the unsuspecting commuters and workers in the area became the audience.” http://foresight.stanford.edu:3455/DigitalHumanities/229 After the phone-in art was completed, Bunting reported back to his followers about the experience on his website and encouraged others to do the same. http://irational.org/cybercafe/xrep.html All of these are still available at Irational.org.
This is an early example of a flash mob
Flash mob
A flash mob is a group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual and sometimes seemingly pointless act for a brief time, then disperse, often for the purposes of entertainment, satire, artistic expression...
and instigating action through a then-passive medium. Bunting's work is sometimes compared to the work of Allan Kaprow
Allan Kaprow
Allan Kaprow was an American painter, assemblagist and a pioneer in establishing the concepts of performance art. He helped to develop the "Environment" and "Happening" in the late 1950s and 1960s, as well as their theory. His Happenings - some 200 of them - evolved over the years...
, one of the pioneers in performance art.